Letter: Medicare, not VA, is single-payer

It is important to understand the difference when considering health care reform.

Editor:

In "Greedy lawmakers at heart of problem" (Reading Eagle, July 18), letter writer Charles Kopicz appears to confuse the concepts of single-payer and single-provider. He suggests that the Department of Veterans Affairs runs a single-payer system. In fact, the VA system is an example of a single-provider program. The VA employs doctors and nurses, builds and runs hospitals, and provides outpatient care and pharmacy services; thus, a single provider of health care.

Problems abound in our VA system because of underfunding and a bloated bureaucracy. In a single-payer system, such as Medicare, one organization controls payment for health care payments but otherwise leaves the health care system (doctors, hospitals, etc.) alone.

The advantage of a single-payer system is that it can set rates for treatment episodes and effectively reduce or eliminate excess profit without otherwise interfering with the multitude of independent providers. A frequently suggested approach for the U.S. is to enroll all individuals (not just those who are 65 or older) in Medicare, in effect creating a single-payer system for the entire nation.